In the News

RMT Union enters Steam Packet / Mezeron battle

23rd November, 2010

Bob Crow, the defiant left-wing general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT), was due on the Isle of man on Tuesday 23rd November to meet Phil Gawne, Minister for Infrastructure to put forward the case for government intervention to safeguard Steam Packet Company seafarers’ jobs.

Mark Woodward, CEO of the Steam Packet had earlier warned that jobs could be lost and services cut following the launch of the container service by Mezeron.

Tesco and Shoprite are among the main customers who have sanctioned the movement of a significant proportion of their business to the new lift-on, lift-off container service.

Mr Crow says the new service is unfairly under-cutting the Steam Packet by paying overseas crews on the two Estonian-registered vessels at ‘rock-bottom’ wages.